Dan Haifley, Our Ocean Backyard: After 9/11, international youth find an ocean in common

When she boarded a plane in her native Persian Gulf nation of Qatar destined for California's Channel Islands, Noura Al-Jurdi probably didn't know what to expect from the two-week ocean camp that was waiting there for her and other youth from around the globe.

It wouldn't be your typical summer outing.

But when I attended the closing ceremony in late July for that program, known as Ocean for Life, it was instantly clear that this was a transformative experience for these kids.

It was a scene as emotional as any graduation: exhilaration, inspiration, and regret they might not see each other again.

"We are not connected by blood, but by love, friendship and caring," Noura said in a video produced for the ceremony. "We learned lots of things in these two weeks -- the problems the ocean is facing, how it is going to affect us, about the animals and plants that live in it."

Ocean for Life arose from the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. In the days that followed, Dan Basta, head of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, penned a tribute to four public school students from Washington, D.C., their teachers, and National Geographic Society staff that had departed for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary for an ocean science camp. They were on the airplane that was crashed into the Pentagon.

Nearly 10 years later, the mission of those lost explorers has been retrieved from the ashes. It's now carried by young people from the world over who've formed a bond with each other, and with an ocean that unites them.

"We also learned about different cultures at the camp," said Noura. "We learned that a white pen cannot write on a white paper or a black pen on black paper. All different colors make a better picture. We need each other."

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under whose umbrella national marine sanctuaries are run, Ocean for Life "brings together students of diverse backgrounds and cultures to discover marine science, conservation, and how the ocean connects us all.

NOAA's national marine sanctuaries provide the optimal setting for this unique opportunity to enhance cross-cultural relationships, while creating a stewardship ethic for the ocean and the universal human experience." The program is funded in part by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, international foundations and several donors.

Educationally rigorous, its curriculum is based on the results of two, two-week pilot programs done in 2009. The first group of students, representing Armenia, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, and the United States, began their experience in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary learning about coral reefs, fisheries, and efforts to protect sea grass and mangrove trees.

They did this through snorkeling, kayak trips, visits to research centers and interactive presentations by ocean experts.

The second group of students hailed from Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. They started by meeting with the first group in Washington, D.C., and after a few days of joint activities, they departed for their field study in three sanctuaries off California: Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones and Channel Islands national marine sanctuaries.

Ocean for Life 2011 was coordinated by NOAA's Claire Fackler, who hosted youth from American Samoa, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, the U.S., and Canada.

"After gaining a sense of place, and learning how we are all interconnected through our one global ocean as well as engaging in conservation and stewardship, these students will return home to share their knowledge with family, friends, schools and communities," she said.

It made an impact on Noura Al-Jurdi, who said to her companions. "I don't want to say goodbye or I miss you ... rather I am saying we will meet again. Through Ocean for Life we made each other a promise to leave the world a better place than we found it."

These friends now continue the journey that began on that September day in 2001.